Poverty can have lasting impacts on both the people and communities in which it is present. The effects of poverty are often detrimental to both the health and education of people that are affected by it, and can lead to higher crime and mortality rates in neighborhoods and countries where the poverty level is high.

More than 10,000 children die every day because they live in poor housing. The effects of poverty on children are even more dangerous than for adults, because children are still developing. While in their developing stages, without access to healthy living conditions or secure access to food and water, children easily succumb to both disease and death. Living in a house that does not have adequate ventilation or proper heating can cause lasting damage to a child’s health, if they survive at all.

Poverty also affects education for people of all ages. Younger students will not be able to afford school supplies or clothes for school. As students get older, without a scholarship, secondary education and college are out of the question. Sometimes, even with a scholarship, they are not able to attend, because they have a family to support at home and need to work. Without adequate education, many people end up working for minimal pay, which keeps them impoverished for the duration of their lives and continues the cycle of poverty within the home.

The effects of poverty include high crime rates in affected communities. People without the proper resources to survive often resort to theft and violence in order to survive. Oftentimes, in high poverty areas there are also high unemployment rates, and because people are unable to obtain jobs, they resort to crime because they feel they have no other options.

The cycle of continued poverty also has a significant negative effect on the health of citizens. Substance abuse is often higher in areas with high poverty rates. This only continues to drive families deeper into poverty and continues the vicious cycle of poverty in the community. There are also more crippling accidents, because people in poverty tend to take jobs in unsafe working conditions to make money.

Poverty also has the power to divide society. The lower class is pitted against the higher class and vice-versa. This allows the gap between the two to become even larger without a chance to rectify the problem. In countries with large gaps between the two classes, the middle class is often small or nonexistent, which is an important stepping stone for people in a lower class to earn better wages. As that class disappears, the amount of impoverished citizens will continue to grow.

The effects of poverty are plentiful and widespread. The amount of crime, violence and death that run rampant in communities with high poverty rates are no coincidence, and are a direct result of the amount of poverty in that area. In order to diminish crime and violence in these areas, poverty has to be diminished first.

Out of the established 224 countries on the earth, these are the bottom five with the lowest life expectancy in the world. The countries listed below range from an average lifespan of 52.1 years to 50.6 years old.

Five Countries with the Lowest Life Expectancy in the World

SwazilandSwaziland has the fifth-lowest life expectancy in the world at an average of 52.1 years. Swaziland is the only country on this list with men living, on average, longer than women. As of 2016, the top two reasons for deaths were HIV/AIDS and lower respiratory infections.However, Swaziland is one of the countries receiving help from USAID. One of the top priorities of USAID is fighting against HIV/AIDS by preventing sexual transmission, increasing the prevalence of male circumcision, improving institutions and training, lessening the impact of HIV/AIDS and decentralizing care and treatment. With USAID’s continued assistance and its partnerships within the African nation, there is a chance that the average lifespan in Swaziland can increase above 52.1 years.

GabonWith an average lifespan of 52.1 years, Gabon is ranked number four for the lowest life expectancy in the world. Despite being rated so low, Gabon has a robust oil-dependent economy, making it a middle-income country.Due to this income status, it is ineligible for relief programs such as Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization. This ineligibility may be why HIV/AIDS and heart disease are the top two reasons for death in the country, contributing to the low life expectancy.

AfghanistanThe only country not in Africa, Afghanistan is ranked at number three with an average lifespan of 51.7 years. This ranking may increase over time through help from USAID.In Afghanistan, USAID is working to promote health and education, both critical factors in raising life expectancies. USAID and its partners are making substantial strides to improve the healthcare for Afghans. For example, in 2016, the organization began a project to help reduce malnutrition and increase access to safe water and sanitation.

USAID is also working toward making essential health services available and improving the quality and quantity of medicines. These resources, once available to Afghans, grant the nation a high potential to no longer be one of the countries with the lowest life expectancy in the world.

Guinea-BissauThe second-to-last country with the lowest life expectancy in the world is Guinea-Bissau, averaging about 51 years of life. Aid for Africa is working in Guinea-Bissau with programs that help improve health and education, create businesses and protect wildlife.Another program through Aid for Africa, called Tostan, works by using local languages and traditions to promote democracy, problem-solving, human rights, hygiene and health. Through this program, successful countries have become more prosperous as well as healthier. With the continued implementation of programs such as these, Guinea-Bissau could improve its quantity of life.

ChadChad has the lowest life expectancy in the world at an average lifespan of 50.6 years. The life expectancy in this nation is so low because it has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality and high infant mortality as well.USAID has several programs to help those living in Chad. USAID and the U.N. World Food Programme are working together to distribute food and make sure access to food is readily available all over the country.

Starting in 2018, programs such as In-Kind Food Aid, Local and Regional Food Procurement, Cash Transfers for Food and Food Vouchers all will be funded to help citizens. With these various programs helping improve health and nutrition, sources are working with Chad to increase the average lifespan.

World life expectancy continues to increase on the whole, but these five countries are still lagging behind. In order to increase the longevity and potential of their citizens’ lives, they will require targeted aid and a focus on infrastructure and healthcare.

Many organizations have contributed to the foreign aid efforts in Syria, and these organizations have not only changed lives, but have contributed to the making of a stronger public health system in several ways. Making health in Syria a priority is the reason why so many people have access to a strengthened healthcare system.

Improved Mortality Rates

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), health aid has been instrumental in decreasing several different kinds of mortality rates and improving health in Syria. Data analyzed by the Syrian Ministry of Health indicated that life expectancy at birth, infant mortality rates, maternal mortality and mortality of toddlers under five years old all fell with improvements in health services. The data taken was over a 40-year period from 1970 to 2009. As foreign aid volunteers and organizers continue to improve health services in Syria, these organizations continue to combat mortality rates that would be much higher if not for the efforts of foreign aid organizations.

Investments in Public Health in Syria

Foreign aid investments in health have been important as organizations look to provide people with strong health services. The importance of health investments can be seen by the Syrian government’s increase in investments since 2009. NCBI also cites investment in public health as having increased over the years. According to NCBI, “Total government expenditure on health as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product was 2.9 in 2009.” As of 2014, according to the WHO, average expenditures had risen to 3.2 percent. Although the Syrian government has increased its investments, more money and involvement means stronger health services for those in need.

Access and Availability of Services

As health officials continue to combat dangerous working conditions in Syria, foreign health aid has been a way to improve health in Syria by increasing the access and availability of medical resources. As the number of trained health officials stays steady or increases in Syria, more people can be served. Also, medical professionals with experience in the field can pass on their expertise and train others who either live in Syria or are coming from abroad.

Access to Medical Resources and Organizations

The medical services and analysis provided by foreign aid groups such as the Syrian International Coalition for Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) have been important in saving the lives of people in Syria as well as improving health in Syria overall. Also, medical aid has led to networking and pooling resources, which has slowly worked to improve aid in Syria. A network by the WHO was an important plan with hope for future improvement. According to WHO, a man involved with the Syria Relief and Development program, Dr. Adbul Saleam Daif, said “The network will save resources and time, will serve more patients and expand coverage. We’ll have good quality services.”

Spreading Awareness

As people continue to support foreign aid efforts to improve health in Syria, more people in the general public who are not participating directly in the efforts will become aware of the issue and of the positive effects aid has on public health. Also, more people will be able to contribute to the cause and have a chance to personally influence the lives and health of people in need.

USAID and its partner organizations implemented the development impact Utkrisht bond in February 2018. Many believe this is an innovative and cost-effective solution to end preventable maternal and child deaths in India.

The Utkrisht bond is targeted to assist the State of Rajasthan, where 80,000 babies die annually from inadequate medical care. But proponents hope the model can be used throughout India, which accounts for 20 percent of maternal and child deaths globally.

The development impact bond was announced in November of 2017 by USAID Administrator Mark Green at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in India. It is expected to provide 600,000 women with improved healthcare access and potentially save 10,000 moms and newborns.

The bond works as a public-private partnership. Investors grant providers of maternal care with upfront capital. Then, outcome funders pay back the investors their principal plus a return if pre-agreed metrics are achieved. The investor, in this case, is the UBS Optimus Foundation, which has committed about $3 million. The organization works with philanthropists to bring sustainable benefits to vulnerable children.

Up to 440 private health facilities will then be operated with assistance from Population Services International (PSI) and the Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust (HLFPPT), which also are co-investors providing 20 percent of the required capital. PSI is a global health nonprofit and the HLFPPT is an Indian nonprofit that works with maternal care.

In order to maximize success, private facilities are the focus of the Utkrisht bond. They host more than 25 percent of institutional deliveries in Rajasthan and are used by women of all socioeconomic backgrounds, yet little has been done to improve their quality of care.

USAID and Merck for Mothers, a nonprofit with the goal to end maternal mortality, have each committed up to $4.5 million that will be paid if the heath facilities meet accreditation standards. This is a highly cost-effective method to save lives according to World Health Organization standards, which is particularly exciting to USAID.

“The pay for success approach ensures appropriate stewardship of U.S. taxpayer dollars, while unlocking both private capital and government resources for health,” USAID states.

While this is the first development impact bond targeted toward health, the future of the Utkrisht bond looks promising. If it is successful, more initiatives can be implemented that involve private-public cooperation and effective use of taxpayer money to save the lives of many women and children around the world.

Studies have shown that poor households in low-income countries can spend an upward of 10 percent of household budgets on tobacco products. Poverty and tobacco use are a highly linked global phenomenon. This disproportionate relation has several outlining side effects.

Households with less disposable income that use tobacco have fewer means of survival when it comes to health and basic living costs. The choice to buy tobacco-based products deprives families of the income needed for proper diet and nutrition. In this respect, outside of the health risks typically associated with tobacco usage, poor diet and malnutrition are within the realm of side effects.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also reported that tobacco leads to higher illiteracy rates when money is used on tobacco products over education. One 1997 study in Chennai, India, found this to be true. “Among illiterate men, the smoking prevalence was 64 percent, whereas it was only 21 percent among those with more than 12 years of schooling,” reports the WHO.

The vicious cycle of poverty and tobacco use is prevalent throughout the world. Due to the prevalence of poverty in certain countries, farmers will accept a line of credit from tobacco companies. This credit is set in the form of seeds, fertilizer and other essentials for growing tobacco. The problem with this business transaction is that farmers must then sell all of their product. However, the profit for selling the tobacco leaves often ends up being less than that of the line of credit, leaving the farmers indebted to the tobacco companies and continuing the cycle even further.

Luckily, in 2015 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a new plan in order to combat the socioeconomic side effects of poverty and tobacco use. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) formally recognize, on a global scale, the negative impact of tobacco consumption on health, wealth and development. Under the SDGs, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) was set to “protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.”

One key difference included in the Sustainable Development Goals is that, unlike previous implementations, the SDGs apply to all U.N. members. High-income countries, especially the United States, are no exception. Though the United States has one of the highest standards of living, poverty and tobacco use still afflict lower socioeconomic groups. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention found in 2014 that, in the population of people having only a GED certificate, smoking prevalence is more than 40 percent.

Fighting poverty is essential to the fight against tobacco use. Tobacco use is a habit that is so detrimental to human life that it should be of high focus for eradication, especially when global health is at risk.

With the slow decline of disease worldwide, initiatives on global health in recent years have begun to focus on mental illness in the developing world, a leading cause of disability worldwide that affects millions. It was only in 2014 that the World Health Organization (WHO) published its first and only report on the global imperative of reducing suicide and mental illness in general.

With this recent attention, it is important to examine the mental wellbeing of individuals not just in prosperous first world nations, but in developing countries as well. Doing so reveals a clear link between nations with high levels of poverty and poor economic conditions and those who suffer from mental health issues. Examining this link not only makes clear the underlying causes of depression, but it also suggests that the alleviation of global poverty could serve as a part of the solution to the ongoing mental health epidemic around the world.

In its 2014 report, the WHO found that the two most significant determinants of mental illness in the developing world, especially depression, are an individual’s physical health and whether or not one is living in poverty. The same study also noted that this relationship is most pronounced in developing countries, which threatens to stagnate the slow improvement of global progress improving poverty worldwide.

Though it is unlikely that poverty is a direct cause of mental health issues, many of the resulting side effects of poverty likely contribute to depressive symptoms. For example, those living in poverty, especially in developing countries, are far more likely to be malnourished than people who are better off economically.

Those in poverty also suffer from higher levels of stress and from more human rights violations than wealthier individuals, which can contribute to long-term mental health issues and disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder and dysthymic depression.

There are other problems that those with mental health issues in poverty face, problems that are accentuated in developing nations by poor infrastructure and slow economic growth. “[Those in poverty] are subjected to stigma and discrimination on a daily basis, and they experience extremely high rates of physical and sexual victimization,” explained the WHO’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

Such individuals are also less likely to be able to access treatment, as many developing countries with poor economies also have poor medical infrastructure and are unequipped to handle physical diseases, let alone the complex treatments and resources required to address mental health.

Thankfully, there are some solutions available to address the issue of global poverty and specifically to alleviate mental illness in the developing world. An increase in foreign aid spending (which currently makes up less than 1 percent of the United States’ federal budget) could strengthen medical infrastructure and lower poverty rates in the developing world.

When investing in medical access, it is also important for developing countries to emphasize improving mental health as well as physical health, and to remove many of the negative stigmas that surround the issue. This kind of assistance could create a positive environment where those who suffer from PTSD and major depressive disorders are encouraged to seek help and support from the medical community and their peers.

Though it is often disregarded as insignificant, mental health is extremely important to the continued development and improvement of humanity. Alleviating global poverty and increasing education on mental illness in developing countries should be part of any solution to what has become a global epidemic.

Nearly half of the world’s population lives in poverty. Millions of people die every year from diseases brought on by starvation and dehydration. Many people in impoverished countries lack adequate food security and clean drinking water, which leads to rampaging water and foodborne diseases.

In many ways, bringing healthier, more sanitary conditions to impoverished countries can not only reduce poverty but also improve national health. When people are forced to live in unsanitary conditions with little to no medical care, diseases run rampant. Many of the diseases that are most common in impoverished areas can be easily prevented.

Decreasing global poverty is the top priority of many of the world’s leading health organizations. Decreasing global poverty can help increase global health.

Unsafe Drinking Water and Waterborne Diseases

Waterborne diseases are extremely common in impoverished areas, such as diarrhea, cholera, salmonella and hepatitis A. Easily contracted, waterborne diseases are caused by microorganisms entering the body from contaminated water.

In the past, Bhutan was considered to have some of the worst drinking water in the world. Many disease outbreaks have occurred in the country, such as bacterial diarrhea and typhoid fever, resulting in high mortality rates. However, in the last decade, the Bhutanese have made substantial efforts to improve their water supply. As of 2015, 100 percent of Bhutan’s people had access to improved drinking water sources. This has grown life expectancy in the country from 64.1 years in 2005 to 69.8 years in 2015.

Malnutrition and Vitamin Deficiency

The human body needs to take in a certain amount of vitamins and nutrients daily to sustain itself. In many impoverished countries, food security is nearly nonexistent. Also, many people in these areas suffer from a lack of resources, a lack of stable income and a lack of product.

Malnutrition can lead to a variety of diseases, including scurvy, rickets and pellagra. In many poverty-stricken countries, such as India, malnutrition is responsible for more than 15 percent of the disease burden. Since India has such a high poverty rate, many people do not have the funds or resources needed for quality nutrition.

This leads to a decrease in strength and a deficient immune system. India has been victim to many disease outbreaks over the years, most recently with the Zika virus in 2017. Malnutrition in India is most commonly seen in children under the age of five.

Over the last decade, India has steadily been getting richer, through poverty is still prevalent. With a decrease in the difference between classes and a more stable economy, India will be able to attain sustainable agriculture. This will increase food security in the country and decrease malnutrition. With stronger, healthier people, many countries can start decreasing global poverty.

Decreasing Global Poverty Leads to Better Living Conditions

By decreasing poverty in heavily stricken areas, living conditions will improve. People will be able to better financially support themselves and afford proper food, which will decrease malnutrition.

Decreasing global poverty can help increase global health. The two go hand in hand. By giving people more opportunities and ways to better themselves and their environment, we can continue decreasing global poverty and create a healthier world.

The ongoing international fight for global health employs many people around the world. Many organizations, such as the World Health Organization and Medecins Sans Frontieres, employ and dispatch medical professionals on a daily basis to crisis areas. These include doctors, nurses and paramedics.

However, many people do not realize that there is a multitude of global healthcare workers behind the scenes making sure that the proper aid reaches the people who need it the most. Many of these people spend time studying aspects of global health such as policy, law and financing. These global healthcare jobs are considered non-clinical careers. Below are the top five jobs in global health that focus on non-clinical work.

Global Health Policy Analyst

A global health policy analyst is usually a government-based job, which means that the analyst will be grounded in the country of the government or organization that is sending the aid. A worker in this field will gather data, assess healthcare initiatives, assess new developments and policies and consult with other global healthcare professionals.

Many times a global health policy analyst will deal with foreign aid and medical relief, both in receiving it and deciding how to distribute it. They will also analyze other countries’ global health policies and be an influencer in deciding when to distribute medical-based foreign aid to other countries.

Global Health Educator

Global health is an important issue around the world and to be able to help as much as possible, the public must be informed. A global health educator is a trained professional that manages and provides educational programs for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. These programs can be geared towards individuals, families or even entire communities.

An educator will collect data to identify a community’s health needs as well as the current policies and environment. Global health educators can also provide medical and financial resources to the community.

Community Health Worker

A community health worker works directly with the community they serve and are considered one of the frontline global healthcare professionals in any designated area. Many times a community health worker will serve as a link between the people of the community and health institutions, governments and aid agencies.

These global health workers also work to build strong relationships with the local community, becoming a trusted and informative person for those in need of medical assistance to lean on. Community health workers can be found in rural and urban areas and in some of the richest and poorest countries in the world.

Health Systems Planner

A health systems planner is an integral non-clinical worker in global health. Planners support the health system of individual countries through population-based planning, research and innovations. They also establish relationships with clinical and non-clinical workers, global governments and relief groups.

Though a health systems planner rarely works directly with the communities they are responsible for helping, all of the planning and research they do is in direct correlation with the community’s growth and needs.

Clinic Administrator

Administration is an important variable to the success of global health. A clinic administrator usually manages a health clinic for physicians and other medical personnel. They take care of the clinic’s financial and budgeting needs.

In addition, they are usually in charge of hiring new staff. This is particularly important in health clinics, as they need to be equipped with a whole host of doctors to deal with a variety of problems.

These are the top five jobs in global health. Every global healthcare worker is an integral part of the fight for global health, whether they are doctors or administrators. These jobs in global health outline how important each aspect of the various and complex global healthcare systems are.

Approximately 5.6 million children younger than five die each year, more than half from preventable causes. Development Media International (DMI) aims to lower this statistic through informative health media campaigns in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. DMI has run educational media campaigns in over 30 countries and is currently focused on large-scale campaigns in Burkina Faso, Tanzania and Mozambique.

More than 15,000 children in developing countries die each day due to conditions resulting from extreme poverty. Simple, and often free, actions like frequent handwashing, recognizing and treating illnesses sooner, breastfeeding and using bed nets would lower the child mortality rate in these developing countries.

Educational media campaigns have the potential to save one in five of these young children, or approximately 3,000 children per day. The London School of Hygiene estimates that by running campaigns in just 10 countries, DMI can save a million lives.

Development Media International produces educational media content, including radio and TV announcements, focusing on lowering the mortality rate of children under five. Informational broadcasts discuss topics like hygiene, family planning and ways to treat malaria and diarrhea. The content is chosen based on the country’s needs and is tailored to the host country’s religious and cultural norms.

Radio is still the main source of information for families in sub-Saharan Africa. Approximately 59 percent of households with a radio in sub-Saharan Africa listen to programming at least once a week. DMI broadcasts the health media campaigns in Africa several times a day in the local language and partners with the most popular regional radio stations to reach the widest possible audience.

Unlike other nonprofits that focus on supplementing the “supply side” of relief by funneling aid to hospitals, schools and infrastructure, DMI targets the “demand side” of relief. This means that DMI aims to increase demand for relief services provided through educational media campaigns. Targeted informational campaigns, like radio announcements that clearly explain the benefits of bed nets for malaria prevention and where to collect free bed nets, can breach the cognitive gap preventing families in developing countries from utilizing available resources.

For example, 600,000 children under five died from diarrhea, pneumonia or malaria in Central and West Africa in 2015. Two-thirds of West African children displaying symptoms of these diseases are not taken to a hospital. All three of these illnesses can be easily treated by a healthcare provider. DMI’s health media campaigns in Africa — specifically in Burkina Faso, Tanzania and Mozambique — address the signs and treatments of common diseases to increase child survival rates.

Limited data exist on the effectiveness of educational media campaigns. However, findings from a randomized controlled trial of DMI’s child survival messaging in Burkina Faso had promising results. The organization found there was a 35 percent increase in the number of children under five who were brought for treatment for diarrhea, pneumonia or malaria after its educational radio messages were broadcast. This is a promising result that shows the great potential for DMI’s programs to help millions of children.

What is swine flu? It is an H1N1 form of influenza that appeared in the U.S. in April 2009 and hasn’t gone away. The respiratory infection continues to sweep across the globe and the U.S.

History

The swine flu earned its name because it first originated in pigs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), human infections can be caused by direct contact with contaminated animals, environments or, occasionally, other humans.

In 2009, the WHO called the swine flu a pandemic, as it was spreading fast around the world. At the outset, there was no vaccine and few people had any level of immunity to the virus.

Symptoms

The symptoms of the swine flu are similar to the regular flu and include a cough, fever, muscle or joint pain, sore throat, stuffy or runny nose, headache, chills and fatigue. More severe symptoms include shortness of breath, prolonged fever and severe vomiting. In these cases, it is important to see a doctor.

Like the regular flu, swine flu can lead to or worsen serious problems including pneumonia, lung infections and other breathing problems.

Treatment for swine flu is similar to regular flu, and usually only requires symptom relief. However, it is recommended to get the seasonal flu vaccine each year, as it protects against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common in the following season.

To address this and stop the next pandemic, scientists are currently researching to understand what swine flu is and how to create a universal influenza vaccine.

Research

In October 2017, Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced the Universal Influenza Vaccine Initiative. The university said researchers are “leading an international effort to develop a universal influenza vaccine that would protect everyone against all strains of the flu anywhere in the world” and will begin tests in early 2018.

The Human Vaccines Project, a public-private partnership, is funding the project.

With additional knowledge and research, people can learn what the virus is and raise awareness of how to prevent it.